St Bartholomew

As with several Apostles, we know next to nothing about St Bartholomew. His name features in the list of Apostles in the Synoptic Gospels, but is absent in the Gospel according to St John. 

Despite the lack of information regarding St Bartholomew, I find something refreshing about commemorating him, and, indeed, many of the other Apostles about whom we know little. We know St Bartholomew was a follower of Our Lord, that he went forth and preached the Good News to people, and was able to lay down his life in witness to the Faith he professed and preached. This is the Christian life summed up succinctly. It seems so simple. Alas, we may not be as ready or fervent as St Bartholomew in living out the Christian life as well as he did, but we can certainly rely on his intercession as we continue on our way to God. St Bartholomew, like all the saints, could live the life he did because of an openness to the grace of God, which transformed his very self from the root: he was elevated to a new height, not by any merit of his own, but by a pure openness to that free gift from God. That gift of sanctifying grace was offered and accepted by St Bartholomew. That same gift is offered to us too. Will we accept it?